Rating: 
Summary: Very nice drawings but not so well organized
Review: I really appreciated the drawings: precise, nice. The birds are drawn in their environment, that original and nice.
But the birds are not classified as in most of the other birds guide. That's disturbing at first when you are used to another one. The index (the birds' list at the end of the book) is not so easy to read. The texts and explainations are good.
Rating: 
Summary: Depth and clarity
Review: I've birded for more than 40 years, and I've used all the guides. This may seem heretical, but I have too much trouble with ambiguous identifications when carrying the much-vaunted National Geographic guide. I recommend this ABC (Griggs) guide along with Sibley's as the very top choices: Sibley's when you don't mind carrying 2 ¾ lb, and this one when you do. The best feature of this book, and the one that keeps me studying it at night, is that it is much more than an illustrated list. It explains what to look for in separating similar species. If you tend to throw up your hands at "LBJ's" (little brown jobs, meaning sparrows and other brown passerines), you need to read the detailed explanations in this book for orientation. It has equally useful introductory material for many bird groups. The unconventional organization is no impediment: I like the way birds are grouped primarily by similarity and secondarily by habitat.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of Info, maybe iffy in the field
Review: Since my old copy of Golden's "Birds of North America" was the unfortunate victim of a flood (many of the pages got hopelessly stuck together), I decided to buy a new bird book. It came down to this book or the revised Golden Guide. What made me decide on this book is that it can easily fit in your pocket, it has a waterproof cover, and it has much more information about the various types of birds, including information about whether or not various species are declining and/or threatened or endangered. But I think the point that others have made, that the Golden Guide has more and slightly better illustrations, is well taken. Good overall guide, but probably not the best for the harder-to-identify species.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of Info, maybe iffy in the field
Review: Since my old copy of Golden's "Birds of North America" was the unfortunate victim of a flood (many of the pages got hopelessly stuck together), I decided to buy a new bird book. It came down to this book or the revised Golden Guide. What made me decide on this book is that it can easily fit in your pocket, it has a waterproof cover, and it has much more information about the various types of birds, including information about whether or not various species are declining and/or threatened or endangered. But I think the point that others have made, that the Golden Guide has more and slightly better illustrations, is well taken. Good overall guide, but probably not the best for the harder-to-identify species.
Rating:
Summary: Great for Beginning and Experienced Birders
Review: The organization of birds in this book, listed by behavior and appearance, rather than taxonomy, allows even beginning birders to identify birds quickly. It's a fabulous book, and it's great for introducing friends to the joys of birdwatching. I've already given several as gifts, and the recipients all use them regularly.
Rating:
Summary: Almost all the birds
Review: The standard guide for birds by Roger Tory Peterson is being challenged by this comprehensive collection from the American Bird Conservancy. The differences are evident as soon as you turn to the first page. There is a chart "How to Identify Birds," turned sideways, with a list of bird outlines divided into type (where they're seens, the shape of their bills), each accompanied by a number of possible bird types. Each line yields a page number. Continue holding the book sideways, you flip to the proper page number (which are printed sideways as well, indicating the thought put into organizing the information), where -- turn the book proper, please! -- you find a selection of bird illustrations to match with your sighting. Subtle signals dot the pages to guide you on your quest. Musical notes indicate if the bird sings, and gives a general idea of how; names are color-coded according to how scarce they are. But it is in organization and presentation of information that this book shines, and you realize with a start that all birding books should look like this. It really is an imaginative breaththrough.
Rating:
Summary: Breaks ground in organization and display of information
Review: The standard guide for birds by Roger Tory Peterson is being challenged by this comprehensive collection from the American Bird Conservancy. The differences are evident as soon as you turn to the first page. There is a chart "How to Identify Birds," turned sideways, with a list of bird outlines divided into type (where they're seens, the shape of their bills), each accompanied by a number of possible bird types. Each line yields a page number. Continue holding the book sideways, you flip to the proper page number (which are printed sideways as well, indicating the thought put into organizing the information), where -- turn the book proper, please! -- you find a selection of bird illustrations to match with your sighting. Subtle signals dot the pages to guide you on your quest. Musical notes indicate if the bird sings, and gives a general idea of how; names are color-coded according to how scarce they are. But it is in organization and presentation of information that this book shines, and you realize with a start that all birding books should look like this. It really is an imaginative breaththrough.
Rating:
Summary: Nice for beginners
Review: This book is a very useable field guide for beginning birders. The book is organized to help you identify birds as quickly as possible. First, you decide whether you are looking at a water bird or a land bird; the first part of the book covers water birds, and the second part land birds. If you're looking at a land bird, you next decide whether you've got a large bird or a small one. The section on large birds has small silhouettes of the birds' shapes in the margin, while the section on small birds shows the birds' beaks. By flipping through these small drawings in the margins, you can easily narrow down the bird you are looking at to a few pages. Then you look at the numerous color illustrations, the range maps, the short descriptions, and the song patterns to help you determine the identity of your bird. For further information, each chapter starts with a short article that describes the morphology and behavior of the group of birds that are covered in the chapter. Scientific names are included for each bird, and rare or endangered birds are highlighted. As a rank beginner bird watcher, I found the book extremely easy to use and informative. The color illustrations, because they are idealizations, were much more accurate and easier to use than the color photographs that appear in some other field guides. The descriptions of each bird are rather short, leaving me hungry for more details, but this book is a great place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Nice for beginners
Review: This book is a very useable field guide for beginning birders. The book is organized to help you identify birds as quickly as possible. First, you decide whether you are looking at a water bird or a land bird; the first part of the book covers water birds, and the second part land birds. If you're looking at a land bird, you next decide whether you've got a large bird or a small one. The section on large birds has small silhouettes of the birds' shapes in the margin, while the section on small birds shows the birds' beaks. By flipping through these small drawings in the margins, you can easily narrow down the bird you are looking at to a few pages. Then you look at the numerous color illustrations, the range maps, the short descriptions, and the song patterns to help you determine the identity of your bird. For further information, each chapter starts with a short article that describes the morphology and behavior of the group of birds that are covered in the chapter. Scientific names are included for each bird, and rare or endangered birds are highlighted. As a rank beginner bird watcher, I found the book extremely easy to use and informative. The color illustrations, because they are idealizations, were much more accurate and easier to use than the color photographs that appear in some other field guides. The descriptions of each bird are rather short, leaving me hungry for more details, but this book is a great place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Birding Field Guide for Beginning and Intermediate Birders
Review: This field guide finally solves the most serious problem for birders...what is the species I am watching? The very clear and efficient guide in the inside front and back covers is designed to help find that LBJ (little brown jobbie) in double quick time. The plates contain clear drawings, including variant forms, of related species, shown in habitat context, with range maps, general descriptions, specific species description with field marks, sizes and distribution. Colored indices on the page edges are just one of the many aids to locating that unknown species. This is a must for your first birding field guide. I recommend it in my Beginning Bird Identification course without hesitation.
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